Meet Dave Bringhurst

Today the spotlight is on Dave Bringhurst, whose grandfather Ralph Bringhurst Sr. co-founded the company back in 1934. Dave’s connection to the business goes back to his early childhood; he has memories of “helping” his father - Ralph Jr. – tend to animals in the barn, make sausage, and brine hams for the store.

At age 18 he officially joined the business. “I learned so much from the older generation of guys that worked here… Don Speece, Jack Sharp, Gordy Benjamin… they were really good people.”

Like most members of the Bringhurst Meats team, Dave wears a lot of hats. On any given day you may find him packing product, replacing a floor, skinning deer, serving customers at the butcher counter, smoking hams or actually making sausage.​Dave can tell you a lot about how the business has evolved over the past few decades. “We knew we needed to change some things - for example...

Dave helps things keep running smoothly.

... to take advantage of evolving technology – but there were other things we didn’t want to change at all. We wanted to maintain the kind of personal service and welcoming atmosphere that people are accustomed to.” One other thing Dave says they were determined to maintain over the years is the quality of the products. “We have never cut corners. We make sure everything is always fresh, we refuse to use preservatives in our store-made products, and we still wood-smoke our hams” (instead of resorting to widely-used liquid smoke products).Dave especially enjoys the time he spends behind the counter. It’s a chance for him to talk with customers whose families have shopped at Bringhurst for generations, and also to meet new customers who have just discovered the store. He likes to hear first-hand how people feel about Bringhurst products and service. So when you see Dave behind the counter, be sure to say hello, and let him know how we’re doing.